Woman charged with hate crimes after pepper spraying Muslim Uber driver
In a statement on Monday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg condemned the attack as a senseless act of hate.
A woman in New York, USA, has been charged with hate crime after she allegedly pepper-sprayed her Muslim Uber driver at a red light as he prayed.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced Thursday that Jennifer Guilbeault, 23, has been charged with pepper spraying a 45-year-old Uber driver in an anti-Muslim attack on the Upper East Side in July 2024.
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Guilbeault faces charges in the New York State Supreme Court, including one count each of second-degree assault as a hate crime, third-degree assault as a hate crime, and second-degree aggravated harassment.
The attack took place in the early hours of July 31, while the 45-year-old driver was completing a ride for Guilbeault and another passenger. According to prosecutors, as the driver paused at a red light, he began to pray in Arabic. Guilbeault then allegedly lunged forward from the back seat, deploying pepper spray directly into his face.
The incident left the driver with painful burning and redness, prompting him to call 911 shortly afterwards.
Despite Guilbeault's denial of racial motivation for the attack during her August arraignment, prosecutors have moved forward with hate crime charges because of the driver's Muslim identity and the severity of the assault.
In a statement on Monday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg condemned the attack as a senseless act of hate.
“The victim is a hard-working New Yorker who should not have to face this type of hate because of his identity,” Bragg stated. “Everyone is welcome to live and work in Manhattan.”
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